Coffee & Tea Festival

Yesterday I attended the 3rd annual Tea & Coffee Festivalin New York again and there was a plethora of tea pots to admire.Water heated in a samovar is wildly romantic and I want one - so much better than the microwave don't you think?I'm always mesmerized by glowing glass teapots at these events - much like looking into a crystal ball. No wonder tea leaf reading is a frequent past time in tea salons. They even had coffee bean readings at the Festival! This Harrisons and Crosfieldwarming pot of classic English tea makes me want to search for a cookie to dunk. Silk tea sachets asteeping...Here's an alternate way to steep your tea - Sympatea makes a spoon with the tea leaves embedded and you just pour the water on top of the spoon. From Tafu Tea you could get your own tea roasting setup! Tea accessories are so varied and beautifully shaped...And incorporate so many natural materials - bamboo, fiber, clay, reeds...And the aromas! Much like visiting a perfum shop - all the exotic fragrances.

And the Festival had a wide variety of tea-related products - here Ito En makes a cold drink of green tea with lingering hints of rose...

And finally the perfect cookie to dunk in your tea if ever there was one! And an excellent macaron of the true French order right here in New York City at Georgia's Bakery on 89th and Broadway. The pastry chef, Alia worked at the NY Fauchon for 5 years and it shows.

There is nothing I'd like better after making the rounds at Longears than to come in, kick off my wellies, put my shotgun back into the rack, hang up my Barbour jacket and tuck into a half dozen macarons with that lovely white tea with orange and mango. I'll sit by the fireplace, field glasses at hand, identifying all the birds at the feeder. Wait, that's no bird! Why, it's the damn squirrel again! Put the cozy back on the pot! Where's that shotgun?

Macarons! Oh poor little me, I had to comfort myself with a rhubarb strudel at Demel's today. Ever since Little Rose Macaron left for Broadway, whe place's not the same anymore. No singing or dancing, all quiet, the tortes mum, a sorry affair to call the thing by the proper name. So nice to be able to comfort myself with apples, er, your beautiful paintings , so joyous, so beautiful, sheer abbondanza all!

My eye's on the beautiful tea canisters. Don't you have to love those Brits, always coming up with some elegant tins for their master ly selected tea leaves? I am sure glad that I have my cup full here, finest Harrogate Earl Grey, from their new blach and gold tin. Ah, life is good.

Ohhhh! Lucky you! Hubby and I run a gourmet and tabletop shop (we sell that yummy Harrison's and Crossfield Tea!). It's been so long since I've been to any tradeshows (lots of kids... so little time)! =) And those French macarons are the BEST!!!!

Thanks so much for the info on Georgia's Bakery! Now I can take the four year old on that macaron field trip! And thanks for the photos of the expo. I was planning on attending, but had to work at the last minute.Thanks again! Love, WAR

Wow! I just stumbled across your blog and found a wealth of great information! I'll be going to Paris in the fall and have already started to salivate over the macaroons. But I will be in NYC in May and might just have to check out Georgia's Bakery!